Originally Posted by JoesC5

What!!!!!!

Calendar year 2017, Corvette sold 25,079 in the US and (estimated) 27,500 worldwide.

In calendar year 2018(year to date), Corvette sold 1005 in the US and (estimated) 1100 world wide.

Sales of C7's have dropped each year as shown on the graph(including the right side that was chopped off).

Originally Posted by JoesC5

That makes no sense. Why would GM over produce in 2016 just to heavily discount them long before any planned shutdown of the plant. It makes more sense that they would instead over produce the 2017 models to have cars to sell during the planned shutdown, but instead they had to cut production drastically for 2017 model year because they had too many left over unsold 2016's.

You don't over build 2016's to have them sit for two years until the 2018's were stopped for the planned shutdown. You over build the 2017's just before the 2018's start in production to have cars to sell.

GM just blew it thinking their C7 was going to sell above what the C6 sold in it's first five years. I believe that the sales of the 2014 and 2015 C7's wouldn't have been near what they were if the economy hadn't been so bad resulting in Corvette sales were miserable during 2009 through 2013. There was a hell of a lot of people that wanted a new Corvette during that time(2009-2013), but couldn't buy one as they either didn't have a job, or they had a serious cut in salary, or they didn't know how secure their job was, and a new expensive toy was out of the question. They waited until things were looking up, before buying, and by that time the C6 was out of production(as well as being long in the tooth).

It is a well known fact that SALES of the C7 have been declining every year since it's introduction.

Originally Posted by NewYuriCity

It's very possible that Chevrolet's corporate buyers overestimated the demand for 2016, but if they also waited to build all surplus in 2017 and there was any sort of supply shortage they would have no inventory to meet demand for the 2017 calendar year. It appears you just don't personally like the C7 and like to think that, for one reason or another, it's a failure. You're free to think that, but in the hopes of not totally hijacking this thread let's just agree to disagree

Originally Posted by NemesisC5

Base ME = 10-15k over full option C7 ZR1 is closer to reality.

Originally Posted by JustinStrife

This is the most realistic.

Originally Posted by C5Driver

I have been lurking and thinking here. In the past couple of years they have brought Camaro almost to the level of the Stingray in HP and even price. Could GMs idea for a ME Corvette be to chase away the $60K Corvette buyer to the now very similar in HP Camaro? It seems to me GM has for the last few model years been upping the ante on the Camaro to the point that some specs are very close to the base Stingray. Could this have been the plan all along. If the mid engine car is priced near $90K its going to price a lot of buyers out of the Corvette market and suddenly bolster the Camaro sales its just a thought.

Originally Posted by MikeG37

Just look at the price difference between the Z51 and a ZR1, and they are well over 90% the exact same car. You can buy two Z51 2 LTs for the price of one base ZR1.. they're built on the same assembly line by the same people using the same tools and take the same amount of time to build. Based on materials and labor alone there's no way in the world the different parts used (that would easily fit in the bed of a small truck) cost GM an extra $60,000. I think the development cost spread over their projected production #'s, and what GM believes the market will accept sets the price.

IMO the mid engine car is an additional model that will start around the price of a modestly optioned Z06/loaded Grand Sport, and fully loaded will easily exceed the price of an all option ZR1.

Sometime this year/early next year we'll start hearing rumors and seeing pictures of weird looking C7's buzzing around Michigan that will turn out to be the actual C8.. an evolution of what we have now. In January next year while Tadge is introducing the mid engine car he'll soothe the mob, with their torches and pitch forks, by letting it be known that this new car isn't a replacement for their VERY successful, 66 year old layout. But he won't give us any details because he "can't discuss future products"..

Originally Posted by JerriVette

I appreciate the discussion and we can agree to disagree on our guesses of what will actually occur.

I believe we will both win whatever ends up being the case.

I hope everyone is satisfied with the end result.

Change is good even when the c7 is an amazing product ...

I know that no matter what ends up occurring ill be pleased.

I won't be carrying pitch forks and torches to any press conference on whatever corvette news is released.

Originally Posted by RACE U

IF.........this were true. GM has made one more final mistake as a manufacturer. I know some like the Camaro, which i personally would NEVER own. Its as simple for me as i am 53 now....and there is not a single Camaro in my driving years that i have ever liked enough to even give a second look....at any price.

They are just planning the Corvettes ultimate demise. When i owned a 93, then a 96, both purchased new, they were priced where someome with a family could afford to purchase one. But as the years have progressed, the % of a younger demographic population being able (and willing) to shell out the continued steep upward climb in price has steadily decreased, which has led to fewer and fewer buyers and greater discounts at the end of a model run......and still have not maintained selling a product that is financially viable to build and sale. It has reached the ultimate peak of being ridiculous with how the marketing strategy (or lack there of) worked out on 2017 and 2018 model years. When, as a manufacturer you have reached a point where buyers are unhappy bacause a model year was cut so dramatically short, yet the cars were almost given away at some of the discounts offered, how can you talk about more new models with such larger prices being viable? Getting close in 2017 where true new buyers coming to the brand, or they finally took one because it was being given away?

As you have fewer and fewer owners, the brand, which has a significant cult following, will ultimately whither away.

A similar icon with a "cult" following dying off, and fast........harley davidson.

Originally Posted by JerriVette

A stingray z51 pretty much takes out the recently replaced Ferrari California in performance ....and in many people's eyes in looks but costs 55 grand versus the Ferrari californias 200 grand plus options...

I don't see why a rear mid engine platform actually developed just before old GM s bankruptcy where all the research and development costs we're jetisoned with the bankruptcy of 2009...would cost so much more than today's model...

So for the most part the added cost for rear mid engine should be minimal for the upcoming 2020 model

Add in the same ohv LT1 derived engine that's an offshoot of a Silverado engine.,,so that's not a huge cost increase factor..

The production site has always maintained a dedicated chassis corvette and producing a chassis with a rear mid engine location versus a front mid engine location really doesn't cost more to produce..

The current c7 sports models z51, gas and z06 all have a Ton of remote radiators and coolers etc so that doesn't add much cost to the c8 model with the exception of various changes in location ...

I do agree the transaxle bought From an outside supplier could cost about five grand more....but a planned 30k unit volume a year could entice the vendor to bring in some added value..

GM does buy an outside supplier manual gearbox so there is history to do such a thing without massive price increases as the manual gearbox from I believe tremec has been the standard gearbox....

Let's throw in the possibility that Cadillac has shown some interest in the c8 platform by JDN a couple of years back as part of JDN s plan of offering an Audi R8 competitor to elevate cadillacs stature in the market as he did with Audi...

...and a portion of any of the actually added costs could have been partially funded by the cadillac division and again there is potiential for added value in the pricing of the c8...

This joint cost theory by the Cadillac division is based off their involvement with the c6 generation and Cadillac funding the various changes Fromm c5 to c6 to accommodate the production feasibility of the Cadillac XLR...(before JDn s arrival from Audi)

The investment to the c6 generation changes from c5 were funded by cadillacs quite heavily...which is giving credence to the c8 developments cost sharing by cadillacs quite a bit of validity.

These are all the reasons I think starting prices of the c8 will be a few grand more than today's models..whether it's the base standard stingray or z51 ..that I can't guess...

Btw

This is all in Good fun guys...whatever ends up being the final base msrp will be what it will be.

One more thing.....I personally believe the camaro design team will when the c8 arrives...be allowed to evolve the camaro s styling in a more revolutionary manner as the 6 th gen camaro is an amazing performance platform with somewhat too much evolutionary styling of the fifth gen and its sales have been softer than expected...

I'd hope that as the corvette goes rear mid engine the camaro radically gets a 7 th gen iteration on its existing excellent platform that transforms the nice but somewhat long in tooth styling into something's totally different.....more along the lines of today's Ferrari portifino...(I'm sure I'm dreaming but hot dam that is one good looking 2 plus 2)

Throw a Chevy motor and trans in ...on an alpha platform...style it like the portifino and I'd pony up the cash for that...with the little 2 plus 2 seating...I'd buy that for my better half and the rear mid engine for myself..

I always would rather give my money to GM...there product development is awesome...and maintaince and repair is always been reasonable compared to vehicles that cost 4 times as much and almost perform as well as GM s two killer sports cars...the camaro SS, 1LE , ZL1...and of course corvettes..

The camaro portion of my future product insights are totally based on nothing other than a few drinks....

The corvette based insights or personal projections are based on actual historical evidence of past corvette team actions on previous generations

Originally Posted by Merkur

The only thing GM will be pushing me to will be a Porsche. A Camaro is not even in the cards.

Originally Posted by dcbingaman

What do you think of a dual model strategy for Corvette base model, and a turbo DOHC 5.5L V-8 for the performance models. It would allow GM to hedge their bet and maybe increase there overall Corvette sales to the 50,000 unit range, provided that they keep the base price of both cars below $80K.

Originally Posted by JerriVette

Conquest sales from the german brands will be astronomical.

Originally Posted by elegant

We are going to have two models, a continuation C7 (at least for a couple of years), and the new ME.

However, part of your supposition, the amount of annual-unit Plant capacity, does not fit with what Kai Spande told us last August 29th, that as a result of GM now “right sizing Plant production for an entire generation,” the Plant will, after the 13 week fall shutdown, possess a maximum yearly production, with overtime “at firewall” (his term) of 33,000 units per year. [That is based on a reduction of 17.2 units/hour to 11.6 units per hour, with the max being 14.0 units/hour due to the paint shop.]